The Pride of a Queen
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: Nala's personal journey up until the time she re-meets Simba. COMPLETE.
1. The night after

**A/N:** Learn a few secrets, live a few lessons. This is Nala's story.

The cream-coated youngster leaned against the inside of her mother's foreleg. She had her teary sea foam blue eyes trained away from the snickering hyenas, and yet there was a tiny morbid temptation to peer up over the fuzzed-over paw. That's when Nala saw the accomplished leer in the new king's green eyes. His surroundings were that of devilishly delighted yellow ones, when she looked up she saw her mom glaring indignantly at Scar.

"Sarafina," The lioness next to her commented, "Sarabi wants us at the rock's edge."

Nala buried herself low as Simba had the other night as her mother's powerful jaws went to encompass her small rib cage. The new king's slinky emerald gaze followed them; he wrinkled his nose in slight distaste and headed into the cavernous entrance with his clan.

A starless night fell over the huddling lionesses' as they formed a circle of bodies, Nala tried not to look up directly at the form of the imposing queen as they passed. She felt it would not only be disrespectful, but it would depress her more to see one figurehead now.

Sarafina made sure of that as she placed her daughter into the center with two brown cubs.

"Nala," One of them asked her. "What's going to happen?"

She only lay there motionlessly. Simba wasn't gone, he couldn't be. Gazing over towards the other younger female, the cub noticed how unsure and scared her eyes were. A wave of compassion towards the fellow little lioness filled Nala's heart with a security that she so desperately needed now. Luckily, the female's older brother covered her with his body.

Nala raised her head and made out the barricade of protectors surrounding her, this made her feel strangely out of place. The comfort of her world was still intact, but it suddenly felt suppressing. She felt a bit of shame for not being able to protect them, as she hadn't been able to the previous night. Even more depressed, Nala slid her muzzle under a paw.

There was a deep intake of breath beyond the encircling group, and she was coaxed to see through the dark shadows that fell across the half-framed boulder the silhouette of a large adult lioness standing up in front of them. Standing up a bit further, through another mist of tears, Nala made out queen Sarabi. She was no longer a laid back, lazily smiling mom.

The little cub almost went agape at the sight; the lioness, for everything she had lost, was standing with her back firmly held straight, hers slouched with a cubs undignified gaiting. Sarabi's legs were evenly spaced, Nala was pigeon-toed. But most of all, she stood with the integrity and authority that came from ruling a kingdom. In the suddenly clear cast of black, Nala saw with wide, cyan eyes that even in the face of corruption, there was hope.

Slowly, the cub brought her paws together; she pushed up even as the muscles in her tiny legs cried out in protest to rise to her feet. Nala then directed her large ears up in alertness.

She then heard what resembled a quiet gasp of surprise from her mother's direction. With a new, profound feeling of sense of purpose, the cub felt herself rise unsteadily to her feet.

The lioness couldn't bring her already middle-aged body to tears right then. Not just yet.

Sarabi couldn't even feel herself standing there, she felt like Pride Rock. Aged, but still a lifetime from death, weathering but still remolding to whatever new role she must endure; without much on her mind but an insurgence questions of doubt stirring in the back of her head. But there was something different also on her mind, some strange sensation that she was the immediate attention of someone. With curiosity, she turned to peer down slightly.

Nala, who had been terrified to look up at her passing by, looked up at the noble queen. A look of determination was set in her eyes, a spark of responsibility and a silent promise to Sarabi to remain loyal. Respectively, the two generation-gaped rulers looked ahead again.

The queen felt a break in her carefully measured dignity occur, and she struggled for just a moment to control her breathing as a single tear rolled down her russet cheek. She was able to regain her composure as the small drop spattered to the smooth stone soundlessly.

Nala swiped at the remnants of her tears as they flowed down and stood with dignity as everyone else slept through the night, the words from the previous night repeated in her mind. '_I thought you were very brave_.' No, Simba had been very foolish and so was she.

Now she would live bravely, for the both of them. Nala would live for her mother and her pride. She would face the hyenas from then on, and she knew _they_ knew she'd be a threat.

A small grin crossed her muzzle.


	2. On the hunt

* * *

I.

The arid grasses parted as an arc of lionesses moved through the Pride lands, overhead dusk clouded the sky like the beginning fumes of a brushfire spreading its fingers out to take out the last remnants of life. A pair of half-closed red-brown eyes shone at the head of the formation, observing the scarce herds of antelope futilely grazing the yellow lands.

Nala stood further back and watched anxiously as the older lionesses flanked either side of the queen. She had spent much of her time practicing her stalking and hunting on the cubs in the pride, and then as she grew older on some of the weaker of the hyenas. This waiting was making her restless. The adolescent crept forward; her ears half lifted and her tail erect it the tall grass swishing side-to-side against the darkening scarlet horizon.

Sarabi caught her eye and sharply shot her a look to stay back. She bit her tongue to hold back her frustration and did as she was told; Nala held a great amount of respect for the aging lioness, but she sometimes felt the former queen was very passive. All of the older females, excluding her mother who had disappeared months ago, waited very patiently.

The day after they had found out they were without heirs, Sarafina had begun to distance herself from the pride. She would sneak out and leave Nala with the rest of the pride, this left her daughter with more time to train but with constant perplexity as to why her mom would not spend time with her like she use to. The teenager watched Sarabi with a loving feeling --- she had been like a surrogate mother to Nala the times when she felt very weak.

Suddenly, the elder queen looked at her again once more and nodded for her to approach.

_Finally, _She thought eagerly and smoothed passed a slightly glaring Zira; the lioness had joined them recently with a group of rogue lionesses. Nala never paid them any attention.

Sarabi's russet muzzle brushed against her cream fur-fringed ear. "Watch," she told Nala.

The lioness's mouth opened a little as the huntress threw her neck out in a signal for all of the others to go into motion, and Nala was left to watch up close as her sisters seemed to become alive. Symore, the fastest, brought up the rear, while Zira, the strategist went to work at setting their well rehearsed course of action. But the enormous limbered limbs of Sarabi, cording with thick muscle, were what fueled a power house statement to everyone.

She burst out instantly from a solid object to a blur of copper fuzz speeding out into view, her displayed claws yanked roots and flung dirt straight from the ground as she propelled ahead of the others. They held their own as they darted forward and began to enclose all of their prey on both sides, but Sarabi flew right in for the first strike. Nala watched with a half-admiring, half-longing sigh as the large cat hopped onto a slow male's back in one sheer leap of energy. The other lionesses hooked their claws into its legs to tether it down.

Nala smiled outwardly and trotted over to the others where she was offered by Sarabi and Symore a nice bloody thigh of raw meat. Even as she felt the disapproving eyes of the old lioness Zira and one of her close friends, Nala still backed away with a shake of her head.

"I didn't earn it."

"Please eat," Sarabi encouraged in her sound, African-accented voice.

"But you..."

", are aged." The lioness smiled with a knowing glint in her deep gaze. That was another thing Nala marveled about the queen; she acted truly noble without ever becoming lofty.

"I guess…" She sank her canines into the flesh and tore off a bite obediently. "It's okay."

"Soon enough you will hunt." Sarabi assured her. Zira simply snorted and ate ravenously.

Nala watched as the queen ignored this and gazed over at the herds, they exchanged the normal mutual looks of understanding before they went back to grazing not even twenty feet away from the predators. It was simple; this was one of few remaining food grounds.

As a coat of silk ebony and midnight blue covered over the last traces of sunset, multiple yellow eyes surrounded the now apparently outnumbered lionesses like a rag-tag team of menacing fireflies. Nala and a couple of other young lionesses released growls from their throats. She swerved her big body around protectively as she issued the guttural warning.

"A laws a law," Shenzei's slick voice reminded them.

"Over this lifeless corpse." Nala said hotly, her own golden eyes burning with eager fire.

But before she and a couple of the other provoked lionesses could launch forward, Sarabi cut in front of the princess and stood with her head held high and her large shoulders set back without a single threat. In the time that she had intervened, Nala noticed that a great number of other eyes were joining them. Without the whole of the pride, it was all useless.

"And a law is a law," Sarabi concurred, then in a low voice, "Even as lawless a law it is."

They filed out after her, stomachs groaning within earshot, as the clueless hyenas were left to ponder her words. Nala closed her eyes from another brush with indignity as she followed the rest of them back to a place she had once loved, all the while the sounds of

hushed snickering and murmurs lingered in their wake. However, as Nala came to the top of a hill knoll she stretched her neck around and looked out beyond the greedy poachers.

Even at the sounds of Zira fondling her mother and Scar's newborn cub Vitani near the end of the crunchy and lifeless savannah grass, even at the sounds of the defeated paws pushing into the moisture-free, dust-sifting earth, Nala couldn't help but to look out into the distance in her fantasized desire to seek help. What if she could help her family out?

What if _she _could find a kindly rogue male to come and challenge the tyrannical king?

Nala allowed her sea-green eyes to fall wistfully and noticed something on the ground.

It was a large paw print pressed down; curiously she turned counterclockwise and went backward to examine it. The print wasn't quite big enough to be Sarabi's and it was out of formation with the well-synchronized pattern of her pride's attack division. Nala let her curiosity get the better of her and leaned forward to try and examine it a bit closer.

The furthest toe was sticking out a little too crookedly --- that was exactly the way her mother's would! Swallowing down some of her emotion, Nala gazed out in amazement.

If she followed these footprints, because there was no rain to wash them away, she would find her mother. As she continued looking out, a real sense of purpose wove into her eyes.

Did she dare?

To be continued…


	3. Survival of the lioness

I.

Four months later…

As dawn spread its' fair radiance over the decimated lands, the shadows receded in an almost circular arc from where a lioness stood up straight just a few feet from the cave's entrance. She felt herself relax as a second presence came up towards her left, and took in a deep, calming breath. The refreshing yellow sunrise hovered at the ends of her paw tips.

"Are you sure about this, Nala? There are no guarantees and you could die."

"I've thought about it for a long time, and my discovery yesterday proves my theories."

"Which are?" Sarabi's voice suddenly held a note of graveness.

"My mother's found help. I know it and if she's out there I'll find her."

The older lioness was silent for a moment. "Once you leave, you must not look back for any reason. You're nearly ready to come into heat and Scar is still looking for an heir."

Nala closed her oceanic eyes. "I understand. Thank you, Queen Sarabi." And with those words she stepped out from the shadows, and into the bright dawn. Light filtering onto the barren earth made it almost unbearable for her to look at, but with the support she needed she started off now.

"Good luck." Sarabi said after her with only a stutter of emotion.

The buttery white lioness was a sight moving headlong through twisted black limbs and brush, and even more of a sight towards the hyenas as they were waking up. She heard murmurs and snickers as she ran: "Is that cat crazy?" "Where's she goin'?" "It's one less mouth to feed us!"

Nala felt the pinch of her forearms and legs unknotting from all the tension she had built up coming undone, the rough thumping of her heart against her thick chest felt wonderful and she grinned from the air thrusting against her well-toned frame as the adrenaline sated her hunger.

She was going to make it.

* * *

The sun overhead was bearing down on the exhausted lioness, she would have to find shelter or risk having a heat stroke. A single log beckoned her and Nala stumbled over her own paws to get to it. She sighed heavily as she fell forward and welcomed the light shade that fell over her body.

"P-p-…" Nala noticed a shaken-looking gazelle beside her. "Please don't eat me."

She couldn't have been very old for a fawn, her thin legs were curled under her stomach and she was trembling not only from fear but from a lack of good nutrition. Knowing the creature only had a few days left, Nala smiled tiredly, curled up into a tight ball and focused on night coming.

"Do you know about the great queens of the past?"

"No… no ma'am." She said shakily.

Nala tried not to laugh as the tiny creature watched her stretch out her long legs and unfurl her hooked claws. "Well, the one who told me about them is a queen herself. She said that when the pride of the king wasn't enough, it was his wives' pride that kept the family going in dark times."

"She gave everyone hope?" The fawn asked in a new tone of voice: awe.

"Yes." Nala cleaned her leg as she rested. "And it was the queen's duty to make difficult choices in order to try and save her family," she felt herself shudder, "Even at her well being's expense."

"Wow…" A small smile crossed the sickly animal's dark brown muzzle. "Could you imagine?"

"Imagine what?"

"Imagine having the chance to be a queen like that."

* * *

Night descended over the sand-laden savannah as Nala tried in vain to search for any traces of her mother's paw prints, her stomach cried from three days of no food or water and her muscles were aching from having run for such long distances without pausing enough to rest. The sunlight had become an enemy to the lioness; a treacherous centre of the circle of light that gave her so many false images and fanciful illusions. She had to wonder why she had daydreamed before anyway.

The lioness wasn't looking for paradise; she just didn't want her or her sisters to die. Frustration and anger was beginning to build inside of her as the vague trails of paw-ingrained prints were fading. Something caught Nala's eye in the distance as she moved slowly forward, and the sight of a large gathering of birds made her instinctively move into a crouch. The hunched, feathery figures of buzzards sent an upsetting gag reflex up into her throat but she didn't have a choice.

She would have to make due or risk starving to death by tomorrow's end.

Nala crept closer with her meatless belly sliding across the sand, undulating both of her ridged shoulder blades back and forth before springing out silver-eyed, white-fanged and russet clawed at the mutely colored birds. They instantly flocked away from the fast approaching lioness, but in that moment something unusual made itself known to her; one of the buzzard's had a broken wing.

She dove into the cool grains, kicked some of them up with her padded back paws and clutched desperately at the wobbly retreating bird's saffron leg. The creature made a terrible, garbled noise and fought with Nala as pain was inevitably surging through its leg now as she held it down hard.

"Don't resist me." She instructed calmly. "That will only make it worse."

"You aren't really going to eat me, are you? Most rogues don't travel this far."

Nala didn't answer; she held the now reluctantly relaxing bird down while applying just enough pressure so it couldn't get away. "I can't guarantee you won't feel anything, but I promise that I'll make this as painless and easy as I can. Hold still." She told the disfigured bird in a soothing note.

"_Okay_…" The tremble left its voice resignedly.

Once the buzzard had given up struggling, Nala positioned it's beak between her large paws and mouthed down around its thick, bone-tough beak. She waited there in a rather awkward pose as it shuddered a little and then went completely limp in her arms; its air passages had fully collapsed. Without a moment to spare, and not wanting to be the one to know if scavengers would sink to cannibalism, Nala began roughing gorging her fill.

The blossoming of a red streak of dawn at the fringes of the dark blue sky brought hardly any relief to the lioness as she crossed her way through the smooth, now chilly trenches of sand dunes. Occasionally Nala would spot a grove of trees and the wishful thinking of her youth would insist on a possible hidden oasis, but she had grown passed these things.

Nala wasn't a child; since the day Mufasa and Simba had died she hadn't spent a single moment of her time playing and had no interest in it. Of course, aside from her first hunt Nala hardly remembered any good times after that. Her mother had left her, Chumvi and Malka had supposedly gone into exile and so on. But a slim sliver of hope kept her from falling into the depths of despair. As she climbed over a sandy hill, with the unwelcome approach of daylight there to greet her, Nala thought she noticed someone at the bottom.

"What in the…?" She muttered, her throat cracked from a lack of water.

The blue-eyed lion looked up at her and smiled.

Nala almost felt her legs give out from underneath her. It was a _male _lion.

To be continued…


	4. Bluebird

I.

The dark golden lion approached the queen warily, a look of appraisal on his soft face. As Nala drew nearer she could not help but to observe a familiarity to this stranger. She approached him in a slow manner, making sure he didn't spring. But when the two met eyes his blue ones twinkled.

"Nala," He said in instant recognition, a warmth entering his eyes and voice, "it's been a while."

"Tojo?"

"The one and only. And of course…" Her childhood friend turned to the curious onlookers that flew up and over to examine her. "some feathered friends as well. Come in, you must be thirsty."

"Very." She admitted sheepishly and walked alongside him, admiring his growth over the years.

The pair entered down into a wide space in a sand dune, as their eyes allowed the sight to part in a shadowy view, the distant sound of dripping was heard up ahead. Nala drew in her breath, long trails of water drops drizzled down the insides of a stoned underground. They sparked as they all ran down to a collection of piled rocks and down into the dark pools. Tojo flashed a reassuring smile before he stepped up to a flat boulder platform, and over to pond-like area that shimmered black.

"It's gorgeous," she murmured as her furry lips touched the night water's edge. "Do you…?"

"Drink your fill."

Nala didn't know how much time passed as she swallowed a throat-full of water, wetting down her dry throat and quenching her intense thirst. When she was down she saw Tojo at the edge of the underground cave's mouth. "So this is where you went when he exiled you?" she asked him.

"No," He turned somber as he looked at her. "This is where I escaped to before I got-."

At her frightened look, Tojo placed a paw over hers. "Don't look so alarmed." He smiled to try and calm her. "I have all I need out here. I hunt desert lizards by night, and rest up by daytime."

Nala smiled as the lion let a big yawn escape his mouth, the way it stretched away from his teeth.

"I can't thank you enough." She went on to say. "I…" Her assessment of him was promising.

"What else do you need?" Tojo nudged her gently with his paw. "Anything for an old friend."

"Would you…" _Would you return to the Pride lands and challenge a tyrant? _

"Ask me, Nala." He encouraged.

She settled for this. "Would you know of any other rogue lions out there?"

"No, sorry, I know the desert fairly well but the next terrain after this is jungle. Of course…" Tojo let a jolt of inspiration take hold. "You could always try to find another friend of mine, Kurou. He lives just on the outside of the jungle. It's half a day on paw, but you'll make it. I always admired that in you Nala…"

She walked up to him smoothly and licked his cheek, causing a rush of color to cross his face. After the sound of laughing twitters faded off, the young lioness looked back at her old friend wistfully, nodded in gratitude and made her way across the already heating up plains. Clouds seemed to ring around the edges of the dark blue sky, but Nala kept her head held high and her hopes even higher as she started outwards.

"Did she suspect anything?" A voice asked calmly from behind him.

"No, Sarafina." Tojo sighed deeply, wishing more than anything he could go after her. "Nothing."

"Good." She said as she walked up beside him, watching her daughter leave with a saddened look. "Good."

"How's the king doing?"

"As usual he's very weak; we may need to get him some sun."

Tojo nodded and the two went to where a large figure stood hulking just five or so feet from the shadowy entrance. They quietly came up to either side of him and nudged their heads under his arms, all they could do was hope that Nala would fulfill her place in the Circle of Life before the forever ill king passed away.

"I haven't seen her since she was a cub," His voice was weak as he hobbled out on his twisted limbs.

"She's grown quite beautifully." Nala's mother agreed. "I'm sure your son sees her among the stars."

"Yes…" He laughed huskily. "Who knew he would be the one looking upon me, though my time is near."

"We'll do all we can to help her." Tojo insisted. "Just like we would do anything for you."

"Yes, anything." Sarafina agreed reverently. "King Mufasa."

The morning sunlight hitting him showed a tired, ruffled-looking lion with white striked on his mane and nose.

To be continued…


	5. Heirweathered

I.

It was mid-day as Nala walked to the edge of the jungle, she took a moment to gaze upon the splendor of fresh green plants and a strange feeling started in her chest. The lioness just stood there for the next few minutes, taking in the sight of luscious growth and the feeling knotted into a yearning pain. She felt now that her encounter with Tojo had reminded her of how young she still was, of how she wished that youth could feel so much better than this. Tears filmed against her sea-foam eyes as she fought them all.

"Simba…" She spoke the name she hadn't dared to think in years. "Simba… why? Why aren't you here?"

Nala stood there, trying to composure herself as she tilted sideways and fumbled miserably into the big greenery that welcomed the weary young adult with sunshine pouring about everywhere. She ignored the warmth that baked her creamy fur, avoided the curious stares from creatures dwelling from below.

It wasn't fair. She shouldn't be alive right now, not with her mother, Sarabi and Tojo still alive. He should be here with her and he should be the king. Nala continued down a steepening path, becoming quite a bit disoriented and dizzy by her aimless wandering. The young princess's throat cracked from thirst, her stomach quaked from nausea mingled with hunger as the sun's rays were slowly cooking her thin body.

"Hello." A voice suddenly surprised her.

Nala snapped open her eyes and realized that she was at the rim of a small watering hole, as a cub she would have rolled her eyes at the 'prospect' of spending time down at the old animal's gathering spot but the sight of one in plain sight out in the smooth-sanded opening just about made her collapse now.

"Hello." She said numbly to a zebra who was observing her thoughtfully. A young colt was sticking his head out, watching tentatively from behind his father. "I… I don't suppose I could take a drink could I?"

"Be our guest." The striped horse answered cheerfully.

Not taking the time to be surprised by his hospitality, Nala lowered her neck down to the pool, closed her eyes and took the time to really taste the sun-freshened coolness of the liquid. It didn't just cleanse the lion's throat, its crispness added an almost flavor that reveled around on Nala's tongue like a black panther might bask endlessly in the sun. The water clutched at the back of her throat, running its short but sweet course as it filled the corners and creases of her muscles with cords of spring clear taste.

"You're almost welcome to come in for a swim," Her zebra host invited, kicking around with his strong, crooking legs as his son still lingered at the side, "It's quite refreshing on a hot day like this to get wet."

"Almost invited?" Nala inquired with a raised brow.

He chuckled and nodded his oblong head over to the colt.

"You won't eat me, will you?"

His candid question awakened the lioness's mind. "Oh, no hon. I have to be going. Where I come from we only take what we need and nothing more." She explained politely as she groomed her long fuzzy arm.

"Are you sure?" The zebra kicked a stream of water her way. "Just to be precise, young rogue, I live in a place where I have more time to concentrate on fending off the occasional outcasts then finding food."

"Some can only be so lucky." Nala griped at him, shaking off her soaked side with a jitter of her paw.

He appraised her more concernedly now. "And most will turn so bitter."

The idea of her rushed childhood evading her made Nala re-think her position for a moment and she reared back on her hind legs, flicked her tail from side-to-side and leapt head-on into the nearly clear water with an elated grin. She gasped loudly as she thrashed her arms around, keeping her head above long enough to twirl around and kicked back against the reviving rushes that rolled in waves down her body.

"Totally worth it." Nala said to herself with a large sigh, relaxing before experiencing another motion.

"Room for one more?"

* * *

II.

Daytime over the Pride lands was dark and dismal as always, clouds that never gathered enough rain to sustain more than a meager few inches life harkened the start of another dreary, desolate day. Brooding and starving, the hyenas roamed around the dusty, dirty grounds below as they patrolled the large rock.

"Oh, this just isn't a good day." Scar said to himself, trying to convince that doubtful part of his mind as he always did on days like this that it wasn't his fault. "But as I grow older, I find myself needing an heir."

"Hey, Dad." Nuka suddenly appeared at his side, his frizzy goatee and tangled mane calling attention away from his forced fanged grin. "Uh… I helped Mom with Vitani today, I watched her and everything."

"I need someone who is as brave as I."

"Ooo!"

"Who is as bold as I."

"Ooo!"

"Who isn't brawny but as brain-worthy as I."

"Ooo! Hey, wait a minute…"

"Son, where do you think I can find such a lion!?" He focused his emerald eyes on the ragged lion.

"Well," Nuka tried to compose himself. "I was thinking that maybe…"

"Your highness," Zira suddenly called from down below in her pronounced voice. "My hunting party and I found someone of great interest to you while out in the desert." She grinned wickedly. "She is not alone…"

Scar felt surprise rush through him at the sight of Nala's mother gazing downwards. "Sarafina!"

"Taka." She muttered in reply.

"And her son who I've appropriately named after you," Zira went on to further explain as a lioness was stationed on the other flank of the captured cat, gazing down interestedly at a furry ball of brown-black closed securely in Sarafina's mouth. "Kovu." His most loyal subject went on to say. "Your potential heir."

III.

"Ravkin." Nala started to inquire as the zebra was tonguing down his young son, patiently keeping his eyes averted from her taper kill. "Would you know where I could find a Kurou?"

He looked at her for the first time with widened eyes before sighing roughly and nodding. "Yes... but beforewarned Nala, he doesn't get much company."

The lionesses raised an eyebrow at this admission.

To be continued…


	6. Too cool for Kurou

**A/N: **Sometimes rising to the occasion means sinking to someone's level.

**"**Kurou." Nala muttered to herself.

She moved through the tall, yellowing rushes as the lush jungle began dying off a bit. The lack of greenery concerned her, but the zebra she had met had assured her that this was a spot in which Kurou spent most of his days. Nala sighed, looking out across parched land.

"He didn't even bother mentioning what Kurou was," She continued talking to herself.

"Miss Mama Kitty-cat," A voice said from somewhere, "I like talkin' just as much as the next Leo royalty swaggering on through here, but usually I keep them inside my mind…"

"… What in the?"

Nala raised her green-eyed gaze up to see that a slinking, black tree dweller was above her, watching her with a steady yellow-eyed gaze and smirk that stretched from ear-to-ear at her aimless wandering. The lioness wrinkled her muzzle and shook her large head, she had endured a lot of things but nothing had prepared her for this smart-mouthed panther.

"Would you mind coming down to my level and talking?" She insisted.

Kurou chuckled deep down into his throat, picking at his fangs. "I don't think so, Mama."

"Then I have no business with you."

"'Scuse me?"

"I can't climb. Maybe you could show a little decency by meeting me at my level."

"We may not meet eye to eye, Miss Lioness. But I sure won't meet you claw to claw."

"That isn't my intention," Nala placed her paw on the trunk he was at; "I just need your help in trying to locate a possible male lion here. Please, all I need is your help Kurou."

"I'm not trained in mind therapy."

She scowled.

"Look," the black-spotted cat laid his entire back against the trunk. "I'm endangered, a leopard of the not so gold furred and brown spotted variety. I 'aint lookin' to speed it up."

"I'm not going to harm you." Nala said to him. She sighed, low on options.

"Come up to my level," He spoke, "And I'll help you out."

Determined to retain her dignity, Nala threw her rump into the air and pressed forward.

"I wouldn't keep goin' with no way of knowin' where I'm headin' to if I was you." The leopard chucked again, inclining his head down and hooking a taut vine. "Sorry to have to intervene," he snipped the light-leafed rope into a swing, "But stop stealin' my scene."

Nala moved glumly into a solid-muddied slope when a whistling sound made her perk up her ears and cock her head back. "Ah… ah…" she made a mad dash for the ravine but as it came swooping down, Nala found herself pressing into the log. "W-_whoa_!"

"Mama Kitty-cat," Kurou said as he had his tail tied to one of two vine-strapped ends of the log. "You have really gotta relax. Like, I, Kurou, do to the max, I mal for the slacks."

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Nala hollered with her claws dug into the falling tree trunk.

"Go with the flow."

"AH!"

"Ride that tide."

"AH!"

"Brave a new wave."

"STOP!" She finally shouted desperately.

"You're up on my level," Kurou told her, pioneering the branch. "Now speak, she devil."

"Rrrrrr." Nala hissed in her protest, having ruled out trying to grab another branch or to snap the other vine, she went to straddle the tree trunk, hook her arms around backwards, give the surprised leopard a devious grin and use her bottom paws as a force to stop them.

Kurou tried to anchor them back up by using his tail as a rudder again, but Nala's fairly normal weight and her driving power were what brought the two down to the ground now.

"Help me," She advanced on a still surprised Kurou, down in a prowl, "_Now_."

"Nope," He grinned sideways and bolstered himself up to escape her pounce, "Not on the kind of scope you're trying to get me to grope. Come back to my pad and cool it a tad…"

"You! You're nothing but a… a dead beat, dead weighted, too mellow for one small hello, short-sighted, simple-minded, hipstick, harebrained, laid-back, lolly-gagging lazy good-."

Nala stopped short of what she wanted to say.

"A good-for-nothing loser?" Kurou finished for her plainly.

She shuddered heavily. "And even after I came up to your level, you still won't help me."

The lioness turned away and headed into ragged, weedy lack of growth.

"I'm sayin'!" Kurou suddenly landed before her on his feet, smiling more genuinely, "I don't think you should go too much further into that piece of terrain for certain reasons."

"So you don't come passed my shoulders," Nala stated, "What level_ is_ right for you?"

The leopard gave her a serious knowing look, noticed a stone at his back paw and gave it a quick kick. They watched, with Nala slack-jawed, as the grey rock drifted down what she now saw was a steep embankment and down into a patch of sand that quickly closed around it. Kurou gave an "mmm-hmm" as the supposedly harmless mud devoured it up.

"Lesson one, Mama…"

Nala glared at him.

"OK, Miss…"

"Nala."

"May Kurou be your Papa Pussy?" He chuckled and prodded the lioness against her big forearm, but then hurriedly started drawing out a map in a small section of soft mire. "I don't know if this Alive and Jiving jungle nut is still around, but you'll find him here."

"That's a pretty complicated map." Nala mentioned in concern.

"Well, that's because this is drawn from my heart." Kurou told her. "It's not everyday I get a pretty lady lioness roaming around my part. So, there, deals a deal for reals miss."

He gave her a parting wink and headed back for his tree branch.

"And just remember, Miss Nala dame with a potential to maim, to shout 'timber'."

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind." Nala said, raising a brow. "I suppose thanks are in order."

"Sorry," Kurou called down to her, "But this cool cat isn't on the menu."

"Then I guess I'll try out your suggested venue."

"Hakuna Matata."

"What?" Nala turned to look up at him.

"It's means…" He suddenly slipped into the shadows. "Say hey to Simbs for me."

"Simbs?" She said to herself quietly. Nala almost continued to talk, but instead went to memorizing the map on the ground. If she couldn't find her mother, she'd find this lion.

To be continued…


	7. Revelation

I.

It was too easy. The sight of a darker reddish blur of color than Sarabi's moving through the still dead-looking grass. _Of course boars aren't exactly high on the totem pole of all intelligence, _Nala thought to herself with humor as she crouched down confidently but a bit uneasily at her prey; she didn't know how many more meals were available. The very real fact that the tree-dweller could be leading her on a horn bill chase was apparent to Nala.

Well, at least she wasn't going to starve to death --- yet.

"Timon?" Her quarry asked suspiciously.

_Who? _She wondered to herself. Could it be the lion she sought? Would he help her?

"Hm." The warthog resumed his undertaking of a blue beetle situated upon a log.

Nala growled in a low voice.

"AH!"

He took off at full-speed. Nala fiercely pursued him, longing for a challenge after that suddenly more irritating encounter with the leopard. They scaled up and down rises, to and from differentiating levels of jungle plain in their mad-capped pursuit. Nala wasn't just hungry anymore, she was famished. That, coupled with impatience, made her move.

* * *

There was a loud _'smack!' _against a tree trunk. Simba, in a purposeless slump, peeled the bark back and reached over to scoop up a paw-filled glop of insects. He inhaled before he plunged the tiny invertebrates into his mouth and rubbed at his stomach in a forced-upon- settled manner. This was his life here in the jungle and would always be his life. The lion had no other choice. He would die if he left because he had nowhere to go, and if he ever did go back to the only other place he knew of in the world he would have to come face – to- face with an even grimmer fate then death. His options in life were against the prince.

_If only something were to happen_…

"AH!"

Simba languidly looked over to observe Pumbaa rushing headlong away from the fatal clutches of a lioness intending to snap up at his ankles. The lion looked back to resume his mood-drenched somber when the incident finally clicked for him. "Pumbaa!" there came the name that furthered his ascension to action. "Hold on, Pumbaa!" he now ran.

* * *

Nala sensed a presence mirroring her own as they rushed parallel through the vine-sewn plantation; her mind converged in to two directions. However, she continued her pursuit of the creature named 'foolish' by the tree-dweller she had heard from above. As he was making it for an opening, a merekat suddenly hopped from over him and was attempting to shove his now hog-lodged friend from beneath the thick root of a jungle tree. With her options wide open, Nala targeted in on the twosome and was about to unleash a helping of hostility on them when a blur of mane and gold-fur sailed out at her from the open sky.

She was taken aback, brought down from her high pinnacle of lioness-hood as her long-suppressed memory of Mufasa inserted into her mind. He came in a blaze of ferocity and fangs; as this male lion did. The roar was unmistakable as the two became wrapped up in an improvised scuffle; by lion standards. The apparently obnoxious merekat shouted out a lot of things that sounded like a cross between cheers --- and commands. This disgusted the lioness and disgraced her pride so much that she caught the lion in a stare-down lock.

They circled each other. Nala scanned his face and saw that the planes of his it did resemble that of Mufasa. He was younger, of course, and scruffier. She turned her attention to the simpering pair behind him, "_That," _they both squirmed in terror now, "is my lunch."

_"They." _He advanced on her gruffly. "Are my friends."

Angered by this, Nala went at him with her claws and teeth poised to inflict harm. This was enough. She could take the oppression of the hyena, she could take near starvation in a sun-beating desert, and she could even tolerate a sassy meal. What Nala would not ever tolerate was a lion choosing below their own kind. She felt her stomach growling, aching in hunger, with her big ribcage pressing up against her dingy cream skin as they continued throwing each other around like rag dolls. Finally, though, Nala was able to toss the same sized male away from her. Seizing this opportunity to gloat, she peered back toward them.

"Well?" She lifted a light-brown brow at the lion.

He launched himself at her again. She reacted quickly to this, hooked a back paw around his leg and brought him down. From gloating to triumphant, Nala slammed down the traitor to his own kind. She had lived with one for years; she would not let_ this_ one escape.

The befuddled look in the lion's eyes confused her. They looked so very, very familiar…

"Nala!" He exclaimed.

She backed away.

"Is it really you?" The lion was smiling at her like Tojo had --- except more excitedly.

"Who are you?" She asked guardedly.

"It's me, Simba."

"Simba?"

There was an unexpected joy that filled the lion's eyes as he nodded.

Kurou had not steered her wrong, the zebra had not told her wrong, and Tojo had not led the lioness on. Now, finally, her long quest and the new friends she had encountered now had more then helped her. The two shrieked exuberantly and went to embrace each other.

…


	8. Love's first flame: Pt 1 of 2

*~* They can't see what's happening

They don't have a clue.

They'll fall in love.

And here's the bottom line.

A trio will be down to two.

The sweet canvass of twilight;

There is magic everywhere.

And yet with all this romance in the atmosphere;

Disaster is in the air.*~*

* * *

He stood there before her with a great expression of ecstasy on his face, the exact same look that she felt melding in her heart; and melting all the long-time disappointment and oppression with every second he caressed her face with his red-sand hued eyes. This was not the same Simba, she saw immediately, but a golden-furred and heavy-mane creature.

"Hey, Nala, its great ta see ya!" He proclaimed happily. "What are you doing here!?"

The lioness started. "What'd you mean: what am _I_ doing here? What're _you_ doing here?"

A small voice suddenly hollered. "HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

This shut her up. Nala averted her eyes and caught sight of the most irate animal she had ever seen. "Timon," he was named, "This is Nala…" She met Simba's eyes; he met hers:

"She's my best friend." He said with elated meaning.

Nala could have flushed red with joy-induced relief; while the merekat could've greened.

"Friend?!"

"Yeah," Simba confirmed, undaunted. "Hey Pumbaa," he side-glanced. "Get over here!"

Nala looked down at the leering merekat and felt a waver of strong disapproval. Why was it that she could stand against a horde of hyena, but this little bipedal creature could very single-handedly make her amazing yet complication-filled reunion her biggest challenge?

* * *

Tojo roamed the outsides of his underground den, sighing as an onset of clouds crawled up onto the horizon. He craned his neck back and watched as Sarafina pawed her way out towards him. It had been more then a miracle that they had found the unconscious king as they had, a clear blow to the back of his head should have put him out in one very instant.

"How is he?" The young male asked the medium-built, dark-milk-furred lioness.

"He's going down." Sarafina spoke ceremoniously. "It was only a matter of time before it happened, Tojo. My hope was that I could nurse him back to health, that eventually with much time and care he could stand strong. That he'd be able to take back his kingdom…"

"What about Nala? I imagine she's already found the leopard, but what if she returns?"

"I left my daughter," Sarafina told him heavily. "I needed to raise her, but in the end she wound up practically raising herself." Her words turned to gentle sobs. "Once the hidden king dies… she will be queen. And once she becomes queen, she will have no true king."

"And the Pride Landers will never have a true reason to return." Tojo concurred.

* * *

"Pumbaa this is Nala, Nala, Pumbaa."

The lioness watched as the warthog approached her, she was a little apprehensive since only minutes ago she had considered him nothing more then a fast meal. His big, wobbly expression, as it were, was ever considerate and even gracious towards his post - pursuer.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

She laughed in spite of herself.

"The pleasures all mine."

"Whoa! Whoa! Time out." Timon piped up. "You know her, she knows you. And yet _she_ wants to 'eat' him and everyone's okay with that." He exploded. "Did I miss something?"

Simba caught her worried look and sent his friend a chiding one at that. "Relax Timon."

As the full grasp of meaning set in, Nala was ready to be overcome in renewed happiness.

"Wait until everyone finds out that you've been here all this time," she rushed to say, let her shoulders fall back and turned back to Simba fully. "And your _mother_…" at this word she spoke, some of the lion's light lessened, "what will she think?" Simba hindered there.

"She doesn't have to know," he hastened abruptly, "No one does."

"Well of course they do," Nala insisted, surprised at his lack of concern.

That first long, bleak night encroaching on her fellow lionesses invaded her mind.

"Everyone thinks you're dead." She said squarely.

"They do?"

"Yeah," Nala felt as if she were a nervous cub, saying. "Scar told us about the stampede."

"He did?" Simba asked and then became more wary, "What else did he tell you?"

The dumbness of this question hit her. "What else matters!? You're alive…!"

She let this trail, hoping he would speak the next thing on her mind.

He didn't.

"That means you're the king." Nala put plainly.

"King!?" Timon spat as if it were absurd.

Hadn't Simba told them?

"Lady," he lounged against her old friend's paw. "Have you got your lions crossed?"

It was all too maddeningly obvious.

"No!" Simba declared.

Nala tried to get a word in as Pumbaa suddenly fell to one knee and shuffled up to the lion, taking his leg. "Your majesty! I gravel at your feet." He tried noisily smooching.

"Stop it."

Timon interceded. "It's _grovel_ not gravel and, what, he's not the king!"

"Simba." Nala tried to press further.

"No, I'm not the king," he relented a bit, "Maybe I was gonna be, but that was years ago."

However, when he tried meeting her eyes again he found he couldn't and looked away.

Nala moved her gaze down to Timon, who crossed his arms and made a few suggestive eye brow raises at her. She bared her teeth and snuck a haughty look towards Pumbaa; a fountain of sweat beads went and started profusions out of his mahogany-colored glands.

She breathed once. There was only one way to convince him and that would be alone.

"Can you guys excuse us for a moment?"

"Hey!" Timon waved away her inquires, "What ever she has to say, she can say it in front of us, right Simba…?" She frowned at him, but Simba looked him over and said casually:

"… Maybe you'd better go." He was addressing them as a unit.

This only made Nala feel more distanced.

"And it starts!" Timon threw up his hands. "Ya think ya know a guy!"

Pumbaa sighed in haggard agreement.

Nala turned to him, wanting to tell him everything. She wanted to share her entire world.

"Timon and Pumbaa..."

He said the two names Nala had already forgotten.

"…You learn to love them."

She felt her entire upper frame fall and allowed her head to drop, defeated, to the side.

"But someone else loved you first." Here came her professed whisper.

Nala didn't think true affection was something that needed to be taught.

To be continued…


	9. Love's first flame: Pt 2 of 2

I.

"What? What is it?"

Nala closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them into faint slits. "It's like you're back from the _dead," _she then switched them onto Simba, emotional. "You-don't- know- how much- this- will- mean- to- everyone," the lioness paused now, "or what it means to me."

"Hey, it's okay." Simba tried to make light of things; again.

"I really missed you!" Nala ran her head under his suddenly exposed neck and stopped at his chin. She blinked back tears and then turned her blue-green eyes up, his face had gone smooth and his broad features seemed to become etched in subdued sadness at her plight.

"I missed you too." He was sober and no longer withholding.

At first Nala wasn't sure what was happening. Simba moved away from her, pawed at the ground, and then peered up unsurely at the lioness. She started over towards him, but than he moved away from her in reserve. Understanding Simba's discomfort, Nala stood back.

"Were you searching for me?"

"No, I really believed you were gone."

"I believe that." Simba admitted wryly.

Nala rose up to her full height. "Why did you deny your kingship, Simba?"

He moved further away. "I just did… that's all."

"Simba," She was forward, "You can't just pretend like nothing ever happened."

A gasp escaped her mouth as her childhood friend retreated totally into leafy underbrush.

"It's in my past, Nala." Simba told her calmly.

"Won't you offer me more then that? I'm part of your past… and your present."

He looked up at her at this.

"I could be part of your future too, if you let me understand."

"And become king?" He ventured.

"That would be part of it."

"No… it's simple. I just don't want to be king anymore."

"Well," Nala now followed him with more boldness, her eyes traveling in and making out his body in the light colors of encroaching twilight, "I'm sorry, Simba," she mustered the dignity to say, "But regardless of what you want," He leapt up to a plateau and she came.

Simba looked down at her and she stared back at him determinedly from the place he had been at. "You and I both know what you were born to be and what you will have to do..."

He turned around slowly, and took a few steps back. Nala wrinkled her muzzle and went forward with even steps of her own. The jungle plants began to enfold him as he slipped away from her. Nala, shocked that Simba was trying to get away from her, followed after him immediately. Soon she was chasing an elusive grey figure through the pale shadows within the sun's fading descent, Nala's eyes and ears picked up senses that confused her.

"Simba?" She skimmed around the heavily foliaged floor. "Simba, please. Just listen…"

Suddenly, overhead, he appeared on a slate rock grey outcropping.

"Yes?" He said simply.

Nala kept a measuring gaze on him as she approached him this time. Simba then adopted a casual look and retreated backwards from her conscious advance, smiling a little at the flirting aspect befalling their friendship. Yet as they moved further into the balmy, quiet little opening, the same doubt from before moved over Simba's broader, older features. It was evident to Nala and she made her way over to try and comfort him this time. The two wandered sideways and to and fro in a manner of trying to find the right way to meet one another. There was a sort of spirited motion behind the wistfulness of this new older lion.

The lioness sensed a kind of flow in him that felt familiar somehow. Nala watched him in curiosity as he stepped up to a moss-covered log, and looked down at it. She mirrored this action and then switched her own eyes up to meet his. Simba smiled slowly, raised a paw and then made a gesture for her to climb onto it. Nala sent him an exasperated look as she complied, and watched as he effortlessly hopped up. They paused with their paws out and met each other's eyes. It was like looking into a bottomless sink hole; one where a young and wily leopard could bat a stone into it and it could fall forever into a big, eternal abyss.

"Simba," Nala spoke quietly.

When the lion met her eyes at his name, the awkwardness and discomfort had returned.

"Simba…" She entreated.

He raised a large paw up to his face, smiled and then began to clean himself. She watched in consideration, still quite surprised herself to see him. After all, he was not supposed to be alive. Finally, Simba started to back away again and Nala felt herself stumble. She had felt herself perfectly balanced, well maintained like a proper queen should be. But seeing Simba give her a wondering look and then leap down to saunter off again, she felt defeat.

The ground met her paws with a mind-numbing thud as Simba appeared to just float off into another world or onto a different planet entirely. Panic-stricken, Nala rushed forward so as not to lose him again. The bushes and brush thwacked against her wildly as she was hurrying to catch Simba. But, to Nala's utter surprise, she found him awaiting her arrival.

He didn't say a word to her, but was completely enraptured now in his own wonderment of years gone by. The lion moved across a tableland of soft grass that was encircled by a spray of smooth limestone, and was surveying her as if from his new distinct perspective.

"What?" she finally repeated his earlier words. "What is it?"

"There's just something different about you." Simba stated seriously. Then he smiled at her in intrigue and headed up to where the sounds of rushing water filled her ears. Nala cocked her head in curiosity herself and followed him at a slower, mellower pace now.

She felt herself transported into a kind of faint euphoria as she felt confident that Simba would no longer run away from her now. The two tailed each other around cascades of clear water pooling and draping them both just like transparent currents, Nala noticed that they fed the flourishing life that she had seen dwindle away in her growth; and marveled at the way the beautiful colors of sunset could melt and merge the turquoises of the earth.

The two came to stop at an oddly patterned watering hole a ways away. Nala noticed that Simba still kept his distance, but as she met his eyes she saw encouragement fill them and she felt more at ease to take a lap from the crystal springs. The disproval that the merekat had shown earlier began to evaporate as she looked up again and saw Simba watching her with wide-eyed curiosity now. They glanced and saw that his long mane tips dripped wet.

He turned sheepish and flashed Nala a big-fanged smile.

She narrowed her eyes. _It looks fluffy._

In a spontaneous movement, Simba was bounding off again. Nala watched him move and was floored that he was still acting the way he was. The lion cut around her and vanished into the bushes. Nala was confused at what he was doing, when Simba suddenly flew by on a vine passed her. She saw him in a flurry of flashing fur, falling over her like a giant pendulum that had passed this way back and forth many times before. Simba then slipped out of view; and into the waterhole. Nala leaned down and scanned the disturbed surface.

She caught the sight of her own turquoise irises.

There was something open and exposed about them --- they seemed to reflect something she had seen in Simba when she had mentioned the word 'king'. Nala reeled back and let her umber brows pull up into a more refined glower. She stood like a statue there with the same look on her face, much like the one she had started wearing the night Simba had ---,

Her cream-colored face smoothed out and a more unsure expression touched her face.

Suddenly, in a burst of water that fanned out on both sides, an explosion of flying fur and mane flew out at her. Nala gasped as Simba's wildly excited eyes and wide-spread smile came out at her. His arms quickly encircled her, but the moments seemed to slow. Nala sensed Simba's paws touch upon the small of her back and experienced the great push of his mane brush across her face. She closed her eyes. _Simba!_ A voice cried. Nala fell now.

She fell down and deep. She was younger and more innocent.

A swift movement of gold-brown fur rushed passed her and a swipe that spilled red made her move up a rocky slope faster. The lioness faded back into the present and let her paws wrap around the grown lion's back. Then, time focused in. Nala tried getting away but in an instant was dragged into the green-ish blue water. Instantly, she dragged herself out of it. Nala sucked in the air around her, shook off her soaking fur and looked over at Simba with a knowing look at his antics. She pressed her paw against his muzzle and pushed the swamp-monster-appearing lion back into the pool. From there they both went on quicker.

The last lights of day hovered on the horizon and flickered away into the very tops of the now darkening green trees. Simba was up ahead again, demonstrating to Nala the way in which he navigated his jungle home; by randomly swinging around on vines and hopping up and down ready-made see-saws. They were on the outskirts of a line of trees when he awarded her bravery so far with a sudden look, and for a moment seemed to register this hesitation she was still feeling. He smiled reassuringly at her, seemed to hesitate himself and then measured _her _as if to estimate how far he wanted to go. Nala glanced away then.

When she looked up, however, when her eyes connected with Simba's, a real, glad smile had replaced the uncertainty. He threw up his head and gestured for her to follow him in one great swinging nod. Nala found herself running towards him now. _Wait, wait, wait!_

Her head screamed and her heart cried in aching need as she flung herself completely into Simba's arms. He caught her up effortlessly in a wide-armed hold and pressed her quaky body up to his strong chest. Nala dissolved into the warmth of Simba's chest fur and felt sheltered for the first time in many years by the fall of his copper mane against the great crimson-setting sun that veiled her in secure ruby radiance. They fell forward now and in a heart-skip, in a pulse beat, were wind-milling and play fighting down the slippery slope of the glade's outskirts. Fresh, heavenly grasslands pastured off into various offshoots of their own sections. Nala found herself and Simba tussling down into a steep ravine which declined immediately into a thick batch of more woodland-type jungle scenery. She went with him now in the circle they formed together, hearing a flock of birds scattering away.

They went down. They went down and deeper into a strange world neither of them knew.

Suddenly, pleasure of the strangest sensations inadvertently mounted and crested an area she never thought much of. It channeled through Nala now, causing her to smile at what she knew to be the pinnacle of her life. He could not resist her now; _she _was in charge of the situation. The lioness rose up and offered Simba a gentle kiss on his still damp cheek.

He gaped down at her, stunned.

But she was not in the business of awkward love making. Nala knew she loved him.

Simba smiled at her, more in trust then in full understanding. He acknowledged that she was right to do what she had done. They came together in nuzzles and affectionate head butts. Nala rolled over on her back and Simba began stroking her underide, and then she finally rotated to laying mid-way down to the ground. In the few remaining moments of day light that grazed over the two, Simba slid his body over her back and they met eyes.

She surrendered herself to his love.

…


	10. The humility of Nala

…

Nala walked along the outer rims of the dark-fallen jungle, tears kept ebbing and flowing against her yellow scleras but she found the strength to keep them at bay. What had she expected? 'What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember!' His unfamiliar scowling eyes had skimmed over towards her. _'_No, I'm not_'_--- _Not._

So if Simba was no longer the king, did that mean Nala had never been meant to be the queen? As she traced the sloping tree-line, she recalled her determination and commitment to Sarabi. It had meant so much to Nala as a cub, and it still did. But, if Simba didn't claim his kingship, how could Nala ever truly be a queen?

"I guess we came, we saw, we struck out." Someone heckled.

The lioness only swept a put-out glance his way and continued her sulking stroll away. But the leopard charged after her in amazing bounds through the bouncy branches, and kept on talking with her.

"I don't know what you were thinkin', Mama. Simbs is the crème de la cancan around here. It's not like you were gonna make _him_ go."

Nala sent him a glare. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

Kurou shrugged from where he now lay casually. "You were going to find out one way or another." He smiled easily, "It wasn't my place."

"It would have been helpful."

"I told you everything you asked for, Mama Nala." the big shadowy cat blended in perfectly with the spot-shrouded night as he gave a stretch back. "Of course, now that ya know, I'm continuing on."

Nala sighed wearily, "I think I've heard enough," she strode off.

Kurou surprised her by jumping down several branches near her and becoming more sure-footed then he was before, "I listened to the two of you arugin'. It sounded like you wanted him to go with you."

"Yes!" She agreed quickly. "To save his home."

"So what's this place?"

"I don't know." the lioness said impatiently. "A jungle getaway."

"Well, it looks to me like _this_ is his home; and his life."

Nala wrinkled her nose, passing him coldly. "You don't even know what you're talking about." She said. "He's always had a home..."

"Right." Kurou came down nearly all the way and kept talking from atop an uprooted root behind her. "The kind of home 'you' recall. The kind of home that no longer is set within that cat's sights."

She turned to him and asked, mystified, "What do you mean?"

"Miss Nala, permit me to say this, but you live in your 'past'. I respect you, and Simba's a good friend of mine. So I'm just going to put it plain. Simba is living in his own world, he has got his

Own life set before him. And here you are out of the blue to tell him what 'he' needs to do with it. Now if you really wanna get to him and be in his life, you're going to have to see life just the way he does. Miss Nala…" Kurou grew serious. "It's the only way."

"But, but-."

"If you don't, there's no way he'll listen. Trust me."

The lioness sat down in mediation. She had not prepared for _this_.

"All this time I've only been thinking of myself." Nala lamented.

"Think back kid, was there not ever a time in your life when you were 'really' happy?" Kurou urged her. "When you were care-free?"

"When I was with Simba." She said with a smile. "And my mother."

He gave her an obvious look with his golden eyes. "Then pick one and stick with one. You're either Nala or someone else." He left.

Keeping this in mind, the lioness went back into the jungle. She remembered her life as a cub, she remembered Sarabi, her mother, the zebra, Kurou and Tojo. Nala remembered Simba --- and hummed.

"Oh…" she sang quietly, her hips bopping. "I just can't wait…"

"To be what?" Someone asked from high up in the trees.

Nala giggled softly. "To be queen."

…


	11. Rememberance

…

As he ran along the sand dunes, his mind and heart going at a thundering pace, the lion's memories edged back along to one in particular. He and a young princess trailed after the King of the Pride lands. Along they went, the young male cub himself not saying a thing.

_"_I thought you were very brave,_"_ His accomplice suddenly spoke.

The cub only looked back over his shoulder; he hadn't been able to protect her.

Twilight harkened far in the western African plains as the two young cubs trotted side-by –side, equal-to-equal behind the male one's father. A small bird followed between all of them in a wafting drift, brought down a little from his high perch. The male cub was now consumed with guilt and pity, and nothing was going to change that. But his friend's eyes on himself did help lessen the pain a little. Finally, as a train will halt first to last, the four of them came to a stop. The princess kept her eyes on him as though she saw what no one else did. He then knew that he could no longer ignore her, so he asked in a quiet whisper:

_"You really think I was brave?"_

Slowly, heavily, he met his friend's green-blue eyes.

She smiled a tentative smile.

The male cub only looked down at her confirmation, hardly reassured.

_"_Zazu!_" _The king called out huskily.

Immediately the bird flew before him. _"_Yes, sire-?_" _he barely got out.

_"_Take Nala home,_"_ He said brusquely, _"_I've got to teach my 'son' a lesson._"_

The young prince sunk down automatically at the isolated word. He waited there just one moment, gathering what little was there of himself, before meeting the princess's eyes in what he knew she'd see as fear icing over his earlier ardor. She now peered critically into his pleading gaze, and then raised her head to scrutinize the situation. He watched her --- he now needed his friend's protection. A look of understanding fell over her creamy face and she looked back down at him, her thin dark-tan brows drawing together at what to do.

There was only one thing the cub could do to save his pride; and they both knew it.

_"_Come, Nala,_" _Zazu flew back over towards them. He then turned._ "_Simba… _good luck_!_"_

And then they started away. The young queen looked over her shoulder, giving him a sort of reminding look. He didn't know it at that time, but it would be the last time they would see each other until adulthood. Simba started over to face a fate Nala couldn't join him in.

…

To be continued…

**A/N:** Short but it gets better next chapter.


	12. The stand of the pride: Pt:1 of 2

**I. – **_Nala. _

They slept in a lazy pile in the middle of three or four crossed logs, Nala noted amusedly, as she approached them in her soft-padded lioness's crouch. The duo muttered something along the lines of insects (which Nala had replied not so delicately to Simba the previous night as 'You've been living on a diet of _bugs! _You're a carnivore, Simba. No wonder I pinned you…') she got down to business as she came up alongside them and nudged the merekat with a paw: "Hey, wake up."

Neither one stirred.

"Hey, hey wake up." She tried again.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Hey, whoa, whoa. Its okay, it's okay! It's _me_." Nala was suddenly grateful for Kurou's advice.

"Don't ever do that again!" Timon pleaded exasperatingly, treading down his bulkier halves nose.

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Carnivores, oy!"

'Look whose talking, grub gobbler.' Nala thought. "Have you guys seen Simba?" she asked.

"We thought he was with you." Timon said smarmily.

"Well, he was. But now I can't find him."

Someone laughed deeply from the tops of the trees. "You won't find him here!" the mandrill that Nala had rarely seen after Scar's takeover reign appeared. "The king," he smiled, "Has returned."

"He's gone back!" She started.

"Who's gone back?" Timon cut in. "What's going on here? Whose the monkey!"

"Simba's gone back to challenge Scar."

"Who's got a scar?"

"No no no. It's his uncle."

"The monkey's his 'uncle'!"

'_Lion King'! _"NO! Simba's gone back to challenge his uncle Scar to become king."

"Oh…" They spoke in unison.

Nala could have muttered the word imbeciles, but that might have been too polite a word.

"Understand now?" She said patiently.

They had already gone on to discussing how they were going to pack meals to go.

"And why would you do that?"

"Well, you didn't think you we're goin' back alone, did'cha?" Timon shrugged his eye brows.

**II. - **_Simba._

The young prince stepped down in an unintentional crush onto a dead root. As he surveyed what was once his land, Simba began to understand the significance of what Nala had told him and that she held significance in his life that he had never known existed; nor learned to appreciate. With a sense of shame, the lion dropped his head and pitied himself once again. He raised his paw off the ground and felt a wave of shock roll over himself. There, in the center of the big print, was a little sprig of green plant. Simba reached down and cradled it with his tip stubs in a thoughtful gesture.

He sighed, raised his head and narrowed his eyes.

"It's awful, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question.

"I didn't want to believe what you told me." Simba admitted.

"What made you come back?"

"I got a little sense knocked into me… and I've got the _bump _to prove it." He nodded sideways.

"You don't have to do this alone." Nala came up closer to him.

"It's gonna be dangerous." Simba half-warned.

"Ha! I laugh in the face of danger, ha ha ha ha!"

He grinned at her more light-spirited nature, glad that she was more like her old self too.

…

"I see nothing funny about this."

Nala cringed --- she thought she had lost them.

"Timon, Pumbaa, you came!" Simba exclaimed.

She mustered a friendly smile when he looked at her again.

"Geez," Timon commented hesitantly, "We're gonna fight your uncle… for this?"

Nala closed her eyes. The merekat was pushing it.

"Yes, Timon." Simba spoke with practiced patience. "This is my home."

"Talk about your fixer uppers. Well, Simba, if it's important to you we're with you to the end."

He smiled down at them, and Nala slowly began to come to grips with the new Simba before her.

After all, he was the king. The only question remaining: Would she still be his queen?

…

TBC.


	13. The stand of the pride: Pt:2 of 2

I.

It was never going to be enough, Nala decided. She had tried all of her life to prove that she could be an effective queen (even if the current king never saw her that way) and now that the time had arrived she didn't know if she could prove herself a final time. Anyway, was Simba really going to take down Scar? Was he really going to make a reappearance after the previous night's events? Nala didn't know, and she would not voice her doubts.

"Nala," Simba turned to her, "You rally the lionesses; I'll find Scar." He added darkly.

She was about to go and locate her sisters when she sensed Simba hesitate.

"Simba?"

The lion didn't move for a moment. Nala walked closer to him from behind the cover of the rocks, and he turned to look at her as she approached. There was a heaviness residing inside of his eyes, something that had been veiled to her during their first meeting. Simba came closer to her decidedly: "I'm sorry, Nala. You should've been able to rely on me..."

"I've always been able to rely on you." She smiled. "I've never doubted you once."

He stood up taller, a little prouder. "It's time for me to go then."

Nala lowered her head down as he started away, "Simba." She said abruptly.

He turned.

"When you become king…"

"_If_ I become king…" He corrected her.

"If you choose to be the king," Nala looked up, her voice high, "I still want to be…"

"If and when I become the king, Nala," Simba said straightforwardly, "I will take you as my queen." He smiled at her shock. "That's going to be the first decision I'll be making."

She sighed with a tremble, saying devoutly. "And it will be an honor to serve under you."

They held each others' gazes crucially.

"I never stopped wanting to be king."

"But, back there, the way you acted---,"

"It took the right kind of motivation." Simba winked once and started away.

"I love you," Nala said as she parted as well.

"Nala," It came quickly. She listened from where the rocks hid her now

"Yes?"

"I've always loved you."

…

Zira met Nala's eyes with a prompt scowl the moment the lioness approached them.

"I take it your extended hunt in the deadest parts of the desert was successful?"

Her select posse laughed.

"I hope your pretty daughter is doing well," She said levelly. The young lioness's eyes traveled down from the gruff adult's to the little pink tongue Vitani was extending out.

"Well, at least I am here to mother her," Zira said implicatively, "You have been, allow me to say this, a favorite of the former queen's. Being a daughter isn't really your forte."

Nala headed away from Vitani and the other lionesses' smug looks down to the veteran Pride Landers, her sisters, who, when they saw her, lit up with excitement at her return. They nuzzled, they giggled, they questioned, and she smiled politely and kept the details to all her answers to a minimum in case the post-rogues were listening in on them. When she asked them about her mother, a mutual sad and disappointed silence was what she got.

"What else can be said about Sarafina!" Zira called loudly. "She probably went rogue."

The others around Nala growled quietly, herself excluded except for the glare she formed.

"You would do best not to talk like that about my mother."

"Of course you'd defend her!" The older lioness's volume rose. "It runs in your genes."

"And _I'll _run you out of-,"

"SARABI!" A male voice suddenly bellowed.

Nala snapped around, startled. While Zira and the others snuck off to stand treacherously behind the hyenas, her own sisters gave her an odd look at what she would do and went to see Sarabi safely through the ranks of ever-populating, laughter-inclined henchman. A sigh escaped Nala's lips and she was about to follow them when a figure coming up just off of the side caught her attention. The lioness looked just as defeated as her, if not more.

"Well, come on." She found herself saying to this weary stranger. The out-of-sorts feline was dust-covered and had rings under her eyes, as if she had spent a lifetime underground.

'Wait,' Nala thought suddenly. 'Underground… Tojo?'

"It's been a few years, hasn't it dear?"

"Mom." The name came out warbly.

"Hello, Nala."

She stood up straight, her shoulders back, "What could you possibly want?"

"I want to know that I'll be welcomed by into this kingdom in the near future."

The younger lioness erected even more: Reconciliation was the last thing on her mind.

"How can you think that you can just come back into my life like this!"

"Nala-."

"I've had to stand up for myself all this time."

"And you haven't even needed me," Sarafina insisted, her blue-green eyes straining to get her point across, "That first night after..." she stopped herself, her lips tightening in an unfamiliar way to surpress secrets Nala was suddenly curious for, "I was so proud."

Her daughter stepped back. "But you left me the very next day." she whispered.

"You had the others," Sarafina spoke gently, "And really, I think it was for the best."

"You think my abandonment issues constitute for a _better _life?" Nala spat.

"What about me? Every time I saw you after that you acted like you didn't need me."

Nala reeled, geniunely surprised.

Sarafina smiled in confirmation. "Hard to believe, isn't it? It's often us adults who need you kids more then anything. You'd think it be the other way around, but no. You made your mind up that you would follow in Sarabi's pawprints, and I made mine up as well."

"I missed you." Nala finally got out.

Tears actually hit her mother's eyes before hers did. "And I've _always _missed you."

They nuzzled one another for a few blissful moments.

"Come on," Sarabi whispered gravely in her daughter's ear. "This isn't over yet."

…

TBC.


	14. New life

~ **_Pride_**_ goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall ~_

I.

_"Well, we don't. Simba is the rightful king..."_

_"Simba, what is he talking about?"_

_"Simba!"_

"_Nala," _His voice rang vividly, "_It's over_." he nuzzled her before going to take his place.

The lioness turned her eyes to the scampering hyneas and met the lead female's. She gave the lioness a good stare, blood smeared across her face, and ran off with all of the other hyneas giving chase after her. The lionesses watched as one as they now headed off into the stormy night. Nala turned her eyes then to see Sarabi and Simba looking out at one another as he approached. She stifled a breath before going up to embrace him.

"You thought it was your fault all this time..."

He met Nala's eyes trustingly from beneath his mother.

"Simba?" Sarabi spoke again.

"No," His eyes stayed on the young queen's, "not anymore."

– One month.

Across the savannah, grasslands were beginning to flourish and animals were now returning in droves to graze and drink rationed shares of water that the rain clouds had produced in heavy sheets. Outside of Pride Rock's mouth, delightedly hushed murmurs filled the morning air. Curious spectators were now gathered around the stone home's base, wondering what to expect. Inside, however, things were quiet.

"She's looking at you…" The creamed lioness spoke in a laughing breath.

"Her eyes are closed," Her male spouse reminded her.

"But still… her head's turned your way."

They looked at the new baby girl cub, then at each other and smiled.

"I still like the name Kopa."

"I do too…if it was a boy."

"_You _thought it was at first."

"_He's _a _she_."

"At least _she_ won't have a mane." The king challenged, making sure she remembered.

The queen chuckled as he prodded her neck lovingly.

"How about Kiara then?"

"Kiara..." She nuzzled deep down into his shoulder bone and along his neck line.

"Yes." He ascertained.

"Kiara…" Nala spoke again, peering up at him lazily but happily. "Sounds perfect."

Simba smiled at her, but when his burgundy eyes turned back to the small bundle of dark blonde fur resting at his paw, a light seemed to fill them. He moved her carefully over towards his pink nose, she was so tiny; Kiara, no bigger then the size of a mouse. But the way Simba gazed upon her let Nala know that he would truly be all right now. The lioness looked up and saw Sarabi walking in to see her brand new granddaughter.

She smiled.

And Sarabi smiled back.

The End.


End file.
